Captain Janeway comes into conflict with Seven of Nine when a Species 8472 alien is pursued onto Voyager by a Hirogen Hunter.
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Alien Blood: Found by Tuvok, and of course, it belongs to the Species 8472 creature. It's yellow.
- Answer Cut: Janeway wonders who's badass enough to hunt the Hirogen. Cue awesome shot of the alien crawling along the outside of Voyager's hull.
- Asteroid Thicket: In the Action Prologue the Species 8472 creature takes refuge there in an attempt to ambush his pursuers.
- Badass Boast: With the Hirogen involved, it's expected.Alpha: I once tracked a silicon-based lifeform through the neutronium mantle of a collapsed star.
Paris: I once tracked a mouse through Jefferies Tube 32. - Bad "Bad Acting": Seven puts no effort into sounding convincing while reading lines from the Doctor's PADD.Seven: (flatly) Please remain still so that I can treat your injuries. Thank you. I'm sorry, did that hurt? I'll try to be more careful. Thanks for being a patient patient. Have a pleasant afternoon. (gives the PADD to the Doctor) This is absurd.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: Tuvok orders Neelix to arm himself and join his security team.
- Birds of a Feather: The Doctor convinces Seven he is the best person to teach her interpersonal skills, given his own struggle to develop his program. Needless to say, Hilarity Ensues now and in future episodes.
- BFG: The Hirogen Alpha selects his weapon from a Wall of Weapons, described by reviewer Jim Wright as "a two-meter gunmetal blue cylinder of apocalyptic potential". Likewise, Voyager's crew break out the compression phaser rifles when they realise what they're up against.
- Call-Back: The fight on Deck 11, with the crew wearing spacesuits and magnetic boots, recalls the deflector dish battle in Star Trek: First Contact.
- Chekhov's Gun: Tuvok mentions that the Hirogen are a nomadic race with no homeworld. This lies behind the motivation of the Hirogen Alpha in "The Killing Game".
- Deadpan Snarker: A nervous Seven fires at movement on Deck 11; it turns out to be a PADD floating in zero-G. Tuvok says dryly, "You missed."
- Death by Looking Up: If the alien hadn't been in a non-violent mood, B'Elanna would have died this way; she looks up in time to see the alien leaping at her from the top of the warp core.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The Captain Mom and her rebellious teen daughter subtext.Seven: I believe that you are punishing me because I do not think the way you do, because I am not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality, but in fact you are frightened by it.
- Explosive Instrumentation: The Hirogen take out Voyager's port warp nacelle and the console to Tom's left blows up in response. Then they take out the starboard nacelle, causing the console to his right to explode. Good thing Voyager doesn't have a central nacelle, or he'd have copped it right in the face!
- Fantastic Racism: Because of her experiences fighting Species 8472 as a Borg drone, Seven can't help but see the alien as a dangerous threat to the ship that must be neutralized.
- Gun Accessories: Those built-in flashlights on the compression phaser rifles come in handy when power is cut to Deck 11.
- Headbutting Heroes: Seven openly questions Captain Janeway's decisions in front of the crew. Team Mom Janeway tolerates this in the interests of teaching Seven about humanity, but The Captain draws the line when Seven disobeys her orders.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Seven is unapologetic about beaming the creature onto a Hirogen ship, effectively a death sentence, in order to save Voyager.
- I'm a Humanitarian: The Hirogen not only take bodies apart for trophies, Tuvok finds evidence that they eat them as well.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Seven makes a good point that the 8472 deliberately put Voyager and its crew in harm's way from vengeful Hirogen, in order to save itself.
- The Lancer: Janeway's Starfleet ideals run up against Seven's ruthless Borg pragmatism.
- Mexican Standoff: Between Seven and the Alpha, who tries to convince her to stand aside and let him kill the alien.
- Not Quite Dead: Species 8472 has regenerative properties, enabling it to survive near-fatal injury.
- Off with His Head!: Tom Paris picks up a Hirogen helmet only to
quickly drop it when he finds the head of the Hirogen Beta still inside. - O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Seven reacts with fear and hatred to the presence of the Borg's only effective enemy.
- The Paralyzer: Seven is not happy when Janeway tells her to modify the nanoprobe weapon to only stun the alien.
- Reading the Stage Directions Out LoudEMH: I created these exercises three years ago to familiarise myself with the social graces. I found that if I repeated them several times each day the words became almost second nature. Let's continue. Exercise two, The Workplace Encounter. Kes used to help me with this one. Now I'll be the nurse, you be the doctor.
Seven: Please hand me the hypospray.
EMH: Of course, Doctor, immediately.
Seven: Thank you. Looks at instrument.
EMH: No, don't read that part, only the dialogue. - Red Shirt: Two security guards clearly isn't enough for one Hirogen.
- Reveal Shot: Seven apparently working as a nurse; turns out she's reading the Doctor's dialogue lessons from a PADD.
- Rule of Threes: Despite her Surrounded by Idiots demeanor, Seven accepts the benefits of the Doctor's dialogue lessons. She accepts the value of sending an Away Team to the damaged Hirogen ship instead of destroying it. She does not accept that they should risk their lives to protect the Species 8472 alien.
- Shut Up, Kirk!: Captain Janeway tries to explain the benefits of compassion by relating an incident from the Cardassian border conflict where she was ordered to save the life of an enemy soldier in No Mans Land. Seven flatly refuses to accept the argument.Janeway: A single act of compassion can put you in touch with your own humanity.
Seven: You are trying to justify your present decision.
Janeway: No, I'm trying to help you see this as an opportunity to grow. I know you don't want to do it, Seven, but I'm telling you as your Captain, and as your friend, you won't regret it.
Seven: No. Your decision is tactically unsound. We will be surrounded by Hirogen ships in approximately two hours. If we do not surrender the creature they will destroy us. A lesson in compassion will do me little good if I am dead. - Stock Footage from "Scorpion" is used when the alien is communicating telepathically with Tuvok.
- Suddenly Shouting: The Hirogen Alpha always talks in a calm husky tone, with one exception.Alpha: Where is my prey?
Janeway: Lying at the end of a corridor on Deck Eleven. Nearly dead, thanks to you.
Alpha: Take me to it.
Janeway: No.
Alpha: Take me to it! - Sympathy for the Devil: In their last appearance in "Scorpion", Species 8472 was depicted as a merciless, galactic-level threat that forced Voyager to team up and develop WMDs with the Borg in order to stop them. This time, the lone 8472 is wounded and desperate after months of pursuit by Hirogen hunters, and only wants to return home before dying. Janeway intends to help it do so, but Seven is not so forgiving...
- Take a Third Option: The Hirogen Alpha demands that the Species 8472 alien be handed over to his people. Janeway wants to send it back to Fluidic Space, but Seven refuses as the Hirogen will destroy Voyager if the alien isn't handed over. In the end Seven beams both the Alpha and the 8472 alien onto one of the Hirogen vessels, so the Hirogen take off after it in pursuit.
- Tempting Fate: The Alpha and his Beta take down the creature in the Action Prologue and pronounce it "a flawless kill". Turns out it's Not Quite Dead.
- That's an Order!: Janeway gives up trying to convince Seven of her values and orders her to open a rift into Fluidic Space. She refuses.
- The Hunter Becomes the Hunted: The Doctor describes the Species 8472 creature as having the demeanor of "a wounded animal."
- Theme Naming: This episode and the previous one "Hunters" reflecting the nature of the Hirogen.
- Unusual User Interface: The Spiked Ball of Doom on the Hirogen ship.
- Warrior Therapist: The Alpha's Establishing Character Moment is when he holds back from destroying the alien's ship.Beta: This prey is resilient. We will lose the moment.
Alpha: The way a creature behaves when it is wounded is the key to its destruction. Maintain distance. - Wham Line: "I'm analysing what could be a sample of its blood. The readings are consistent with Species 8472."
- What the Hell, Hero?Seven: I will not comply. I have agreed to remain on Voyager. I have agreed to function as a member of your crew, but I will not be a willing participant in my own destruction or the destruction of this ship.
